Ratcliffe could ditch Varane with Man Utd swoop for £31m “leader”

There is change afoot at Manchester United and it could finally bring some stability to the club which has been tormented by off-the-field issues recently.

Sir Jim Ratcliffe is edging closer to taking sporting control once his 25% stake is ratified by the Glazers and with chief executive Richard Arnold set to depart the club after a period of 16 years, along with director of football John Murtough, who is also expected to leave in the near future.

These changes in the United hierarchy could give Erik ten Hag some respite following a poor start to the season which has seen the Red Devils crash out of the EFL Cup while winning just one of their opening four Champions League matches.

Their form in the Premier League has hardly been much better, as the club currently occupy sixth place in the table after winning just seven of their first 12 matches.

The international break arrived at precisely the right time for the Dutchman to regroup and focus ahead of a gruelling schedule up to the festive season and this could make or break their campaign.

With the January transfer window fast approaching, Ten Hag may look to bolster his squad with one or two arrivals, as several areas of his team need improvement, and fast.

Man United transfer news – centre-back hunt ramps up

Having endured somewhat of an underwhelming summer transfer window, the former Ajax boss will be hoping January will be more productive.

According to Italian outlet Il Romanista, the Old Trafford side are currently eyeing a move for AS Roma centre-back Gianluca Mancini in a bid to improve their faltering defence.

The Serie A side could potentially demand a transfer fee of around €35m (£31m) for the 27-year-old and this is a fee which is certainly affordable for the club.

He is at the peak of his career and Ten Hag may splash the cash to lure the defender to Manchester in the new year, especially as his side have conceded 30 goals across just 18 matches this term.

With Ratcliffe looking to make some big changes around the club in the near future, he could even move on some of the current players at the club in order to make way for more reliable options.

Raphael Varane could be one of these players, especially as the Frenchman is attracting attention from foreign shores.

Why Varane could leave Man Utd

The 30-year-old has started just six of United’s 18 matches this season, scoring once in the process, and with the defender turning 31 next April, he isn’t exactly going to get much better.

While he brings a winning mentality to the current squad, having won the Champions League four times along with the World Cup in 2018, he simply can’t be relied on anymore.

Since joining the Old Trafford side in 2021, he has missed 38 matches due to injury, and these niggling issues seem to be catching up with him.

The former Real Madrid defender has 18 months left on his current contract and January could be the final time that Ten Hag will be able to properly cash in on him and this could be a tempting proposition.

Indeed, there are some clubs from Saudi Arabia who are keen on signing the defender according to TEAMtalk, and they could offer a fee which is too good to turn down.

Receiving a bumper fee for the player could allow Ten Hag the opportunity to use this in the transfer window and make a concrete offer for Mancini.

Gianluca Mancini’s statistics this season

Whilst Roma are currently struggling in Serie A this season, occupying seventh place having won just five of their opening 12 matches, Mancini ranks highly across the squad in various performance indicators.

The defender currently ranks third in the squad for accurate passes per game (46.8) along with ranking first for accurate long passes (3.3), third for interceptions (1.1) and fourth for clearances (1.5) per game, indicating that he has been one of their better performers this term.

He was also recently called up to the Italian national squad following an injury to Alessandro Bastoni suffered an injury, and he could add to his 11 caps.

He was hailed as a “leader” by writer Wayne Girard earlier this year, and he has become a mainstay at the heart of the Roma defence and his recent performances have obviously stood out and attracted attention from elsewhere.

Gianluca Mancini’s style of play

According to WhoScored, Mancini’s greatest strength is his concentration and while tackling is deemed a weakness, his style of play could allow him to link up well with Lisandro Martínez when the Argentinian returns to the first team after his injury woes.

Indeed, the 27-year-old is adept with the ball at his feet as he likes to dribble on a regular basis and his passing statistics for Roma this term that were mentioned previously suggest he could fit right into Ten Hag’s tactical system.

His physicality could also be a big advantage to the Dutchman too, as Mancino has won 1.7 aerial duels in the Italian top flight this term – a success rate of 63% – while he has also demonstrated his strength on the floor, winning 3.9 ground duels during the current season.

Alongside Martinez, Mancini could form a solid partnership as both are equally strong in one-on-one encounters, while their passing abilities are wonderful. This could allow the pair to move the ball forward as often as possible, starting attacks from the back.

There is no doubt that the Dutchman needs to vastly improve his defensive options. Jonny Evans was the only centre-back he signed during the summer, and it shows just how poor the club were in the summer transfer window.

With this new takeover news involving Ratcliffe, it could mean that January will be a different story entirely, and he may allow Ten Hag to pursue players who will make an instant impression in the first team squad.

Mancini may not be a promising youngster, but he is a solid professional who has showcased his ability in Serie A, and he would be a welcome addition to the team.